Glitch - Chapter 03.
"What's wrong with me?" thought Felix as he sat in his semi dark room. He locked the door and tried to avoid any kind of contact with the others. He didn't want them to see him like this. He twitched every time when his body glitched. He was confused.
Why this happening to him? Felix wanted to share his worries with someone; someone who wouldn't look at him with worried eyes. He wasn't dying… he just wasn't himself, that's all; probably just a temporary condition. Yeah. Yet still, there was something that kept bugging the man's mind. He didn't know what, just felt it.
"I hate lying to my friends so much..." Felix sighed and rubbed his chin, then stood up from his chair. "I have to tell her, at least. Maybe she can help me find a solution..." he hummed half aloud and fixed his hat. When nobody noticed he carefully snuck out the building and left the game.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the arcade, Calhoun and her troops were training in Heroes Duty. They tried to work on a new kind of strategy that might be more effective against the Cy-Bugs.
"Alright, ladies! One more time!" ordered the woman as she reloaded her gun, but as an answer she recieved some annoyed, tired groans. Behind her the crew could barely stand on their feet.
"Sergeant... can't we stop for today?" muttered one of them, rolling his tongue out. Calhoun frowned angrily.
"Oh sure... you're all getting tired. What a bunch o' pussies!" she roared right into their faces. "That would be the best if I could replace you all with girls. They should do a better job than you all!" the soldiers winced and quickly stood back up in lines. "Ya want to be eaten by Bugs? Huh?"
"No, Ma'am!" they answered.
"I didn't hear you!" shouted Calhoun.
"NO MA'AM!" roared back the soldiers.
"Good. Then one more charge and... hmppfff we can take rest, pussies." her lips curled into a wicked smirk, making her troop swallow nervously. Calhoun then turned away and picked up her big gun. "Alright ladies, get ready!"
"Ehm, excuse me..." in the next moment she heard a tiny voice and someone poked her on the waist level.
"Who dares touching me?" she bellowed and rolled around, aiming her weapon at the person.
"Yikes, please put that away! It's just me!" yelped the short newcomer, raising his arms defensively.
"Felix? For God's sake, what are you doing here?" Calhoun was startled for a second, then huffed and put down her gun. "I almost shot you down. You know what happen when you die in another game, right?"
"I-I'm really sorry, ma'am, but... ehm... can we talk? Between us?" fidgeted Felix nervously. The woman raised a brow.
"Felix, it's not the right time. I'm busy at the moment."
"I need only a minute or two..."
"No, Felix! We can talk later, but now, I have my duties. Please go back into your game." Calhoun touched the young man's head then went back to her troops. "What are ya staring at? Get ready to-"
"This is important! Tamora, please!" The woman stopped and glanced at Felix. He rarely dared to call her by her first name. When he did, it was always he was serious. As she watched her mate, she found him visually nervous, almost like he always was when he was around her. The woman rubbed her temples then frowned.
"Just one minute... Kowaltzky!" she shouted, making one of the soldiers twitch.
"Y-yes Ma'am?" the man stammered.
"Take my place! For one round you're gonna lead the troops!" her statement surprised all the men. Kowaltzky's jaw dropped, then shook his head and saluted.
"Yes Ma'am! Alright ladies, weapons up and go!" he ordered and they entered the battlefield. Calhoun walked back to Felix and knelt to be on eye level with him.
"Okay, I'm listening." she said.
"There... there's something wrong with me..." started Felix, unsure how to tell her his worries. He fidgeted and avoided the eye contact with his love. "Since we came back from Sugar Rush I feel really strange... I have headache... and I was glitching..." Calhoun raised a confused brow.
"Glitching? That can't be. Maybe you're just seeing things because of the headache." she said and poked his forehead.
"This wasn't just a hallucination, Tamora. Please believe me..." Felix stated, when suddenly they heard a loud, buzzing noise. The man's eyes grew wide in shock "Tamora watch out!" he yelled and, before Calhoun could even react, pushed her aside. Loud crunch echoed in the hangar.
"Felix, NO!" Calhoun screamed and grabbed her gun to shoot the Cy-Bug, when her mouth remained open in shock.
The Cy-Bug was right in the entrance with jaws open, hissing and pushing against something that blocked it's way inside. It was Felix, gritting his teeth as he stood against the huge monster, with hands in the bug's mouth.
"Don't dare you touch her!" he yelled and in the next moment he torn the bug into two. It's green fluids splashed around, covering the ground. It's limbs twitched before the remains shattered into bytes.
Calhoun was stunned by the short man's action. Nobody was able to kill a Cy-Bug with bare hands... Wait a second! She let out a surprised gasp. In the bare light she saw something unusual on Felix. His arms were large and spiked, ending with razor sharp...
"Claws?" Calhoun groaned as she slowly stood up, managing a careful step toward the man. Felix turned her way panting heavily, his beautiful blue eyes now glowing with red light. In the next moment, a vibration rushed through his body. The claws shattered and turned back into his normal hands as the glow went out. Soon after, Felix collapsed.
"Felix!" Calhoun rushed there and picked him up, as he had apparently fainted. "Felix! What's happened with you? Felix?" she called out to him. He didn't react to her voice. Tamora bit her lip, then holding Felix in her embrace, rushed out the game to bring him into a safer places.
End of Chapter 03.